November 30th, 2007rap is not just one kind of music
Known primarily for its shock value, horror-rap focuses on death and extreme violence. Needless to say, it has not reached the level of success more commercially acceptable hip-hop genres have.
Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are among the artists known for horrorcore content.
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Crunk is a high-energy style of Southern rap that combines high-pitched electronic drum sounds, heavy bass and simple, repetitive lyrics, which makes the music a nightclub favorite.
It didn't gain wide public appeal until the early 2000s, when artists such as Lil' Jon and the Ying Yang Twins burst onto the scene with their vigorous dance tunes.
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Political rap, a repackaged version of conscious rap, was on the forefront of hip-hop culture during the early 1990s. It primarily focuses on social issues and the need for political empowerment in the black community.
Artists Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur and Talib Kweli have been tagged as rappers in this genre.
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Gangsta rap was by far the most popular hip-hop genre in the 1990s. It flourished with songs and videos glorifying violence in the inner-city. N.W.A., Ice-T and Philly rapper Schoolly D are some of gangsta rap's more prolific figures. Many of them, however, have moved toward a more commercially friendly image and sound.
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Country rap is a mixture of Southern and rap music. Its content draws from rural life rather than the street life that inspires East Coast and West Coast rappers. Artists like Nappy Roots and Bubba Sparxxx have made being a "hick" socially acceptable.
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Mafioso rap is modeled after American organized crime. Rappers such as Kool G. Rap, Jay-Z and the Junior Mafia depicted the luxurious lives of rappers-turned-gangsters during the '90s. The songs, videos and album covers referenced crime organizations and figures in famous movies such as "Scarface," "The Godfather" and "Goodfellas."
Jay-Z's latest album, "American Gangster" - rich with samples from 1970s soul classics such as the Isley Brothers and Marvin Gaye - was inspired by the crime movie of the same name now in theaters, starring Denzel Washington. *
- Dafney Tales
